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DOE OSTI2025

Beam Commissioning Result of Polarized Target at SpinQuest

SpinQuest is a fixed-target experiment at Fermilab to measure the Drell-Yan process using transversely polarized NH$_3$ and ND$_3$ targets and unpolarized 120-GeV proton beam. In the Drell-Yan process, a quark in one scattering hadron and an anti-quark in the other hadron annihilate into a virtual photon and then decay into a muon (lepton) pair. The angular distribution of final-state muon pairs with respect to the target polarization is sensitive to the Sivers function of light antiquarks in the nucleon, which is one of the eight Transverse Momentum Dependent (TMD) parton distribution functions. The intensity of the proton beam is as high as $10^{12}$ protons/second, in order to accumulate the required statistics of Drell-Yan events. The polarized target system at SpinQuest has been carefully designed to accommodate such a high beam intensity. It is equipped with an evaporation refrigerator with a cooling power of around 5 W at 1 K. The target temperature is maintained at 1 K even under heat load caused by the proton beam and the DNP microwave. The target system and the spectrometer were commissioned with the proton beam from May through July 2024. The experimental setup of SpinQuest and the performance of the target system during the beam commissioning is reported.

Nakano, Kenichi [Virginia U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Protons in the NOvA Test Beam

The NOvA (NuMI Off-Axis electron neutrino Appearance) Experiment is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment composed of two functionally identical detectors, a 300 ton Near Detector, and a 14 kton Far Detector separated by 809 km and placed 14 mrad off the axis of the NuMI neutrino beam created at Fermilab. This configuration enables NOvA's rich neutrino physics program, which includes measuring neutrino mixing parameters, determining the neutrino mass hierarchy, and probing CP violation in the leptonic sector. The NOvA Test Beam experiment deployed at Fermilab between 2018 and 2022 used a scaled-down 30 ton detector to analyse tagged beamline particles. The beamline selected and identified electrons, muons, pions, kaons, and protons with momenta ranging from 0.4 to 1.8 GeV/c, as understanding how the detector responds to these particles found in the final state of neutrino interactions is crucial. This poster shows preliminary results from studies of proton response in the NOvA Test Beam detector.

Bannister, Emerson [Sussex U.] (ORCID:000000027535↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the Z boson invisible width at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the invisible width of the Z boson using events with jets and missing transverse momentum is presented using 37 fb -1 of 13 TeV proton–proton data collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. The ratio of Z → inv to Z → ℓℓ events, where inv refers to non-detected particles and ℓ is either an electron or a muon, is measured and corrected for detector effects. Events with at least one energetic central jet with p T ≥ 110 GeV are selected for both the Z → inv and Z → ℓℓ final states to obtain a similar phase space in the ratio. The invisible width is measured to be 506 ± 2 (stat.) ± 12 (syst.) MeV and is the single most precise recoil-based measurement. The result is in agreement with the most precise determination from LEP and the Standard Model prediction based on three neutrino generations.

13000 GeV-cms↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probing charged lepton flavor violation with a positron beam at CEBAF (JLAB)

The addition of a high intensity 11 GeV polarized positron beam at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at JLAB would allow for a search of Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) via the process $e^+N \rightarrow \mu^+ X$. The proposed Solenoidal Large Intensity Detector (SoLID) spectrometer, in the configuration with muon chambers, would be ideal for such CLFV searches. Various new physics scenarios, including the phenomenologically convenient Leptoquark (LQ) framework, predict CLFV rates that are within reach of current or planned experiments. A positron beam with instantaneous luminosity, ${\cal L}\sim 10^{38}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, could improve on existing HERA limits by two or three orders of magnitude. The availability of positron beam polarization would also allow for distentangling CLFV effects mediated by left-handed vs. right-handed LQs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Double deeply virtual Compton scattering with positron beams at SoLID

Double Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DDVCS) is the only experimental channel for the determination of the dependence of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) on both the average and the transferred momentum independently. The physics observables of the electron induced di-muon production reaction $\vv{e}^{\pm}p \to e^{\pm}p\mu^+\mu^-$ off unpolarized hydrogen are discussed. Their measurement with the high luminosity and large acceptance SoLID spectrometer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, using polarized and unpolarized positron and electron beams at 11 GeV is investigated. This experimental configuration is shown to provide unprecedented access to the GPDs with the determination of the real and imaginary parts of the Compton Form Factor H in an unexplored phase space, and to enable an exploratory investigation of higher twist effects.

Zhao, S.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ferrite Specification for the Mu2e 300 kHz and 4.4 MHz AC Dipole Magnets

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will measure the rate for neutrinoless-conversion of negative muons into electrons with never-before-seen precision. This experiment will use a pulsed 8 GeV proton beam with pulses separated by 1.7 µs. To suppress beam induced backgrounds to this process, a set of dipoles operating at 300 kHz and 4.4 MHz have been developed that will reduce the fraction of out-of-time protons at the level of 1E-10 or less. Selection of magnetic ferrite material for construction must be carefully considered given the high repetition rate and duty cycle that can lead to excess heating in conventional magnetic material. A model of the electromagnetic and thermal properties of candidate ferrite materials has been constructed. Magnetic permeability, inductance, and power loss were measured at the two operating frequencies in toroidal ferrite samples as well as in the ferrites from which prototype magnets were built. Additionally, the outgassing rates of the ferrite material was measured to determine vacuum compatibility. The outcome of this work is a detailed specification of the electrical and mechanical details of the ferrite material required for this application.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Search for Lepton Flavor Violation in Two Body Muon and Pion Decay at Rest

The ability of the Mu2e experiment to probe, or discover beyond the Standard Model physics in direct Charged Lepton Flavor Violation $\mu^+$ and $\pi^+$ decay modes is estimated. These direct modes are searched for simultaneously with proposed Mu2e detector validation runs, and are complementary to the Mu2e main search goal, an indirect search for $\mu^- \to e^-$ conversion at the sensitivity level of $\sim 10^{-17}$. The $\mu^+$ validation run will operate at 50% nominal magnetic field and reduced proton beam intensity to less than 1/100th nominal, in order to observe the e+ spectrum from $\mu^+$ decay, at and below the Michel edge Ee . 53 MeV. The $\pi^+$ validation run, based on measuring the mono-energetic e+ emission in the decay $\pi^+ \to e+\nu$, at 76% of nominal magnetic field and reduced beam intensity less than 1/5th nominal. Both of these runs can be used to fix the momentum scale for the Mu2e conversion search. In addition the muon validation dataset can be used to correct for systematic errors in the detector response by mapping the well known to O(\u03B13) corrected theoretical Michel spectrum, to the observed spectrum. One direct search is for two-body Charged Lepton Flavor Violation $\mu^+ \to e^+X$ decay, where $X$ is a light new physics particle. This allows Mu2e to explore well motivated models including axion like particles with flavor violating couplings and massive $Z^0$ bosons with more sensitivity then present astrophysical and laboratory constraints. In two weeks of data-taking, Mu2e can achieve direct mode 90% confidence level branching ratio limits of $10^{-7}$ over the mass range $20 \le m_X \le 50$ MeV, improving the current experimental limit at $10^{-5}$ by two orders of magnitude. In the mass range $m_X \le 20$ MeV, assuming systematic error corrections can be made by correcting the Monte Carlo mapping, the achievable search sensitivity is found to be $2.3\times 10^{-7}$ for $m_X =0$, an order of magnitude improvement over the current best limit at $2.6\times 10^{-6}$, when assuming $V+A$ or isotropic coupling. The $\pi^+$ validation run, allows searching for $\pi^+ \to e^+N$ decay, where $N$ is a heavy neutral lepton such as a heavy sterile neutrino, in the mass region $20 \le m_N \le 65$ MeV. A branching ratio limit at 90% confidence level of $3\times 10^{-8}$ can be achieved in two weeks, an improvement of the current search sensitivity limit by an order of magnitude.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for a Sterile Neutrino in a 3+1 Framework using Wire-Cell Inclusive Charged-Current $\nu_e$ Selection with the BNB and NuMI beamlines in MicroBooNE

A search for a sterile neutrino is being carried out in the MicroBooNE experiment within the 3+1 (three flavors of active neutrinos + one flavor of sterile neutrino) framework using neutrinos from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) and the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI). The sensitivity of this search is built upon high performance inclusive charged-current electron neutrino and muon neutrino event selections. The previous 3+1 sterile neutrino search using only BNB data, the cancellation between $\nu_{e}$ disappearance and $\nu_{e}$ appearance oscillations led to a reduced oscillation effect in the $\nu_{e}$ energy spectrum resulting in a degeneracy of the oscillation parameters. Such a degeneracy is shown to be mitigated by including the neutrino events from the NuMI beam. In this note, the prospect of a 3+1 oscillation analysis using both BNB and NuMI is reported, considerably improving the sensitivity to 3+1 neutrino oscillations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

The "Fake" Supernova Neutrinos of SBND: Using Muons Decaying at Rest to Study the Charged Current MeV-Scale $V_e$-Ar Cross Section

In a Type-II core collapse supernova, 99% of the total amount of energy is released in the form of neutrinos. However, the nearest supernova explosion in the last few hundred years was in 1987, over thirty years ago. It was also the first from which particle detectors around the world managed to detect the neutrino flux, yielding important information about their properties and the explosion mechanism. Neutrinos are the most weakly interacting subatomic fundamental particles known to date, and they act as a cooling mechanism for the star. Out of the six neutrino flavours currently known, the majority exiting the explosion are electron neutrinos, ve. Neutrino experiments using liquid argon (LAr) as their detector medium are unique at probing this specific channel. In the meantime, however, until the next explosion, we can still practise for the big event. With the Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND) experiment at Fermilab, we can study how electron neutrinos of the same energy coming from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) interact in LAr, and measure the cross section. As BNB measurements are mostly tailored to higher energy neutrinos, I will present an overview of how SBND is aiming to select the low-energy neutrino candidates from muons Decaying At Rest (DAR) in the absorber and target within the BNB beam pipe. This is not a straightforward feat, encompassing special difficulties that include beam and flux systematic uncertainty simulation, system trigger needs and particular reconstruction efforts, and so I will present how each challenge is being addressed in SBND. This will be a novel measurement in the neutrino particle physics community, and will prove fundamental for the next generation of supernova neutrino detectors.

Kotsiopoulou, Lucy [Edinburgh U.]↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constraint on the matter–antimatter symmetry-violating phase in neutrino oscillations

The charge-conjugation and parity-reversal (CP) symmetry of fundamental particles is a symmetry between matter and antimatter. Violation of this CP symmetry was first observed in 1964, and CP violation in the weak interactions of quarks was soon established. Sakharov proposed that CP violation is necessary to explain the observed imbalance of matter and antimatter abundance in the Universe. Yet, CP violation in quarks is too small to support this explanation. So far, CP violation has not been observed in non-quark elementary particle systems. It has been shown that CP violation in leptons could generate the matter–antimatter disparity through a process called leptogenesis. Leptonic mixing, which appears in the standard model’s charged current interactions, provides a potential source of CP violation through a complex phase δ CP , which is required by some theoretical models of leptogenesis. This CP violation can be measured in muon neutrino to electron neutrino oscillations and the corresponding antineutrino oscillations, which are experimentally accessible using accelerator-produced beams as established by the Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) and NOvA experiments. Until now, the value of δ CP has not been substantially constrained by neutrino oscillation experiments. Here we report a measurement using long-baseline neutrino and antineutrino oscillations observed by the T2K experiment that shows a large increase in the neutrino oscillation probability, excluding values of δ CP that result in a large increase in the observed antineutrino oscillation probability at three standard deviations (3σ). The 3σ confidence interval for δ CP , which is cyclic and repeats every 2π, is [-3.41, -0.03] for the so-called normal mass ordering and [-2.54, -0.32] for the inverted mass ordering. Our findings indicate CP violation in leptons and our method enables sensitive searches for matter–antimatter asymmetry in neutrino oscillations using accelerator-produced neutrino beams. Future measurements with larger datasets will test whether leptonic CP violation is larger than the CP violation in quarks.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-Statistics Measurement of Neutrino Quasielasticlike Scattering at 6 GeV on a Hydrocarbon Target

We measure neutrino charged-current quasielasticlike scattering on hydrocarbon at high statistics using the wideband Neutrinos at the Main Injector beam with neutrino energy peaked at 6 GeV. The double-differential cross section is reported in terms of muon longitudinal ( p ∥ ) and transverse ( p ⊥ ) momentum. Cross section contours versus lepton momentum components are approximately described by a conventional generator-based simulation, however, discrepancies are observed for transverse momenta above 0.5 GeV / c for longitudinal momentum ranges 3–5 and 9 – 20 GeV / c . The single differential cross section versus momentum transfer squared ( d σ / d Q QE 2 ) is measured over a four-decade range of Q 2 that extends to 10 GeV 2 . The cross section turnover and falloff in the Q 2 range 0.3 – 10 GeV 2 is not fully reproduced by generator predictions that rely on dipole form factors. Our measurement probes the axial-vector content of the hadronic current and complements the electromagnetic form factor data obtained using electron-nucleon elastic scattering. These results help oscillation experiments because they probe the importance of various correlations and final-state interaction effects within the nucleus, which have different effects on the visible energy in detectors.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Techniques for TPC Calibration: Application to Liquid Ar-TPCs

Large liquid argon TPCs are playing an increasingly important role in neutrino physics, and their calibration will be an essential component of their capability to reach the required performance and precision. Natural sources are extensively used but present limitations, since natural radioactivity from 39 Ar is of low energy, and the rate of cosmic ray muons is low when the detectors are placed deep underground. Argon gas TPCs have been calibrated with ionizing laser beams for several decades, and more recently the technique has been further developed for use in liquid TPCs. Other recent ideas include the use of external neutron generators creating pulses that propagate into the detector. This paper reviews the development of the laser and neutron methods for the calibration of argon TPCs and describes their planned implementation in the upcoming DUNE experiment.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Muon Neutrino Charged Current Single Pion Production on Various Targets in the MINERvA Detector

Measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters at accelerator-based experiments require precise knowledge of neutrino interaction cross sections. A significant fraction of neutrino interactions observed in these experiments produce single charged pions. While single charged pion production has been measured on hydrocarbon and water, few precise measurements exist for heavier targets, and there are no high statistics measurements that directly compare pion production on different targets. This thesis measures differential cross sections of muon neutrino charged current single charged pion production with no other mesons in the final state in a neutrino beam with a mean energy of $\approx 6$ GeV. The pion production is studied on targets of scintillator, carbon, water, iron, and lead at MINERvA, a neutrino cross section experiment located in the NuMI beamline at Fermilab. These measured cross sections are differential in $\mu^-$ and $\pi^+$ kinematics. A strong suppression of low $Q^2 $ and an enhancement of low $T_\pi$ are observed relative to commonly used neutrino interaction models in both the light and heavy nuclear targets. Incorporation of these observed effects in future neutrino oscillation experiments will improve their ability to measure energy of neutrino interactions, and therefore measure the parameters governing neutrino oscillations.

Bercellie, Aaron↗
DOE OSTI2025

MAIA: A new detector concept for a 10 TeV muon collider

Muon colliders offer a compelling opportunity to explore the TeV scale and conduct precision tests of the Standard Model, all within a relatively compact geographical footprint. This paper introduces a new detector concept, MAIA (Muon Accelerator Instrumented Apparatus), optimized for $\sqrt{s}=10$ TeV $\mu\mu$ collisions. The detector features an all-silicon tracker immersed in a 5T solenoid field. High-granularity silicon-tungsten and iron-scintillator calorimeters surrounding the solenoid capture high-energy electronic and hadronic showers, respectively, and support particle-flow reconstruction. The outermost subsystem comprises an air-gap muon spectrometer, which enables standalone track reconstruction for high-momentum muons. The performance of the MAIA detector is evaluated in terms of differential particle reconstruction efficiencies and resolutions. Beam-induced background (BIB) simulations generated in FLUKA are overlaid with single particle gun samples to assess detector reconstruction capabilities under realistic experimental conditions. Even with BIB, reconstruction efficiencies exceed 95% for energetic tracks, photons, and neutrons in the central region of the detector. This paper outlines promising avenues of future work, including forward region optimization and opportunities for enhanced flavor/boosted object tagging, and addresses the technological assumptions needed to achieve the desired detector performance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of Multi-Proton Zero Pion Final States with the NuMI Neutrino Beam at ICARUS

Evidence suggests that charge-parity (CP) symmetry, or the principle that matter and antimatter must obey the same physics, might be violated in neutrino flavor mixing. The next-generation long-baseline experiment DUNE is designed to confirm whether or not neutrinos oscillate differently from antineutrinos. The magnitude of systematic uncertainties contributing to current long-baseline oscillation measurements, if left unimproved, is enough to jeopardize DUNE's ability to measure CP violation. Neutrino cross section measurements on argon targets are an essential input for improving neutrino interaction modelling and reducing the systematic uncertainties before DUNE turns on. The ICARUS experiment at Fermilab is well suited perform such measurements due to the NuMI neutrino beam providing neutrinos at the same energy as DUNE's first oscillation maximum. This work presents a measurement of muon neutrino charged-current interactions with multiple energetic protons and zero final state mesons in ICARUS. Multi-proton topologies are sensitive to contributions from two-particle two hole effects as well as resonant pion production and subsequent absorption via final state interactions (FSI) within the argon nucleus. Single-differential cross sections are measured in lab-frame opening angles and transverse kinematic imbalance variables, characterizing the initial sate momentum sharing between correlated nucleons and strength of FSI in argon.

Smedley, John [Rochester U.] (ORCID:00000002848611↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of three-dimensional inclusive muon-neutrino charged-current cross sections on argon with the MicroBooNE detector

We report the measurement of the triple-differential cross section d 3 σ/dE vis d cos(θ μ )dP μ for inclusive muon-neutrino charged-current scattering on argon. This measurement utilizes data from 6.4 x 10 20 protons on target of exposure collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located along the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam with a mean neutrino energy of approximately 0.8 GeV. The mapping from reconstructed kinematics to truth quantities is validated within uncertainties by comparing the distribution of reconstructed hadronic energy in data to that of the model prediction in different muon scattering angle bins after applying a conditional constraint from the muon momentum distribution in data. The success of this validation provides confidence that the energy transfer in the MicroBooNE detector is well-modeled within simulation uncertainties, enabling a reliable unfolding to a triple-differential cross section defined at the nominal neutrino flux over muon momentum, muon scattering angle, and visible neutrino energy. This validation not only supports accurate cross-section extraction, but also establishes a critical foundation for tuning interaction models used in future neutrino oscillation measurements. The unfolded measurement covers an extensive phase space, providing a wealth of information useful for future liquid argon time projection chamber experiments measuring neutrino oscillations. Comparisons against a number of commonly used model predictions are included and their performance in different parts of the available phase-space is discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutrino Program at Fermilab - Enhancing Proton Beam Power and Accelerator Infrastructure

The upcoming long baseline neutrino experiments aim to enhance proton beam power to multi-MW scale and utilize large-scale detectors to address the challenge of limited event statistics. The DUNE experiment at LBNF will test the three neutrino flavor paradigm and directly search for CP violation by studying oscillation signatures in the high intensity $\nu_{\mu}$ (anti-$\nu_{\mu}$) beam to $\nu_e$ (anti-$\nu_e$) measured over a long baseline.\par Higher beam power and improved accelerator up-time will enhance neutrino flux for the neutrino program by increasing the number of protons on target. LBNF/DUNE, as well as PIP-II upgrade and Accelerator Complex Evolution (ACE) plan, play a vital role in this effort. The scientific potential of ACE plan extends beyond neutrino physics, encompassing endeavors such as the Muon Collider, Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV), Dark Sectors, and exploration of neutrinos beyond DUNE. In the era of higher-power accelerator operation, research in target materials and beam instrumentation is crucial for optimizing design modifications. This abstract discusses Fermilab ACE, the science opportunities it provides, and how Fermilab is pushing the limits of proton beam power and accelerator infrastructure. By tackling neutrino beam challenges and exploring research and development ideas, we are advancing our understanding of fundamental particles and their interactions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

First Measurement of Charged-Current Muon-Neutrino-Induced 𝐾 + Production on Argon Using the MicroBooNE Detector

The MicroBooNE experiment is an 85 tonne active mass liquid argon time projection chamber neutrino detector exposed to the on-axis Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab. One of MicroBooNE’s physics goals is the precise measurement of neutrino interactions on argon in the 1 GeV energy regime. Building on the capabilities of the MicroBooNE detector, this analysis identifies 𝐾 + mesons, a key signature for the study of strange particle production in neutrino interactions. This measurement is furthermore valuable for background estimation for future nucleon decay searches and for improved reconstruction and particle identification capabilities in experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. In this Letter, we present the first-ever measurement of a flux-integrated cross section for charged-current muon neutrino induced 𝐾 + production on argon nuclei, determined to be 7.93 ± 3.22⁢(stat) ± 2.83⁢(syst)×10 −42 cm 2 /nucleon based on an analysis of 6.88 × 10 20 protons on target. This result was found to be consistent with model predictions from different neutrino event generators within the reported uncertainties.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗